Hopelab Investment Portfolio Expands to Include Organizations Treating Substance Use Disorders

San Francisco, CA — In response to the impact of the opioid epidemic, Hopelab has diversified its investment portfolio to include two organizations focused on treatment, recovery, and intervention services for adolescents (ages 10-25) with disorders related to substance use. Today, Hopelab, a transformative social innovation lab and impact investor working at the intersection of technology and youth mental health, announced Seed investments in DynamiCare Health and YourPath, digital health platforms offering a holistic approach to addiction treatment and care.

“Substance use and addiction significantly impact the well-being of young people. We need new treatment approaches to bring new evidence and technologies to this serious societal change,” said Margaret Laws, President and CEO of Hopelab. “Through direct treatment and access to care, there is potential to effect change and significantly improve the lives of young people. Our intent is to help scale the work of DynamiCare and YourPath with Hopelab’s investment and through navigation guidance of National opioid remediation programs.”

For the first time in recorded history, the rate of overdose deaths among U.S. teenagers has seen an exponential rise, nearly doubling in 2020 and rising another 20% in the first half of 2021. The overdose rate for people of color was higher, fitting a broader pattern of increasing racial disparities in overdoses that deserve stronger intervention efforts. DynamiCare and YourPath host digital-based platforms tailored to the needs of specific communities. DynamiCare is an evidence-based digital care program that empowers people to overcome addiction through motivation and accountability, while YourPath is an ecosystem-based software platform that improves access to care with effective and appropriate services that support recovery and healing.

As access to settlement funds from corporations that aggressively promoted the opioid painkillers that fueled the fentanyl overdose crisis become available to local governments, access to interventions like DynamiCare and YourPath should be more accessible to communities who need them most.

“In the midst of our current overdose crisis, our most pressing challenge is to reduce the horrific disparities in outcomes between people of color and their white counterparts,” said Jordan Hansen, Co-founder and CEO of YourPath. “It is imperative that we reimagine the support we are offering to young people, building a future of care that is rooted in public health, dignity, and community.”

Eric Gastfriend, Co-founder and CEO of DynamiCare Health added, “Too often, digital health innovations are only made available to those with employer-sponsored or commercial insurance. At DynamiCare, we have a strong focus on adapting our product, service, and business model to be able to serve the Medicaid population, where there is a huge need for our program.”

Hopelab’s portfolio of social impact investments addresses a diverse range of challenges facing historically underserved youth. Our investment approach, which combines early-stage capital with expertise in payment model support, is bringing effective interventions to scale. As we look to the future, we believe that investments in programs like DynamiCare and YourPath will advance positive outcomes for adolescents seeking care for substance use disorders.

About Hopelab
Hopelab is a transformative social innovation lab and impact investor working to support the mental well-being of adolescents, ages 10-25, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth. Through targeted social impact investments, youth-centered design and research support, and translational science partnerships, the organization leverages 20+ years of co-creation experience to influence systems change while centering health equity. Learn more at hopelab.org.

About DynamiCare Health
DynamiCare Health is a digital health company dedicated to helping people overcome addiction. The company’s award-winning platform automates contingency management, an evidence-based system for rewarding healthy behavior that has been demonstrated to be effective in over 100 randomized controlled trials. Through encouragement and accountability, DynamiCare members achieve healthy goals with stimulants, opioids, alcohol, and tobacco. For more information, visit www.dynamicarehealth.com.

About YourPath
YourPath exists to respond to the suffering in our communities caused by issues related to substance use and worsened by systemic inequities and discrimination. Through our integrated services and digital platform, we aim to solve some of the most stubborn and persistent issues in healthcare, believing that radical compassion, relentless pursuit of improvement, and innovation responding to the needs of real people can close gaps and make person-centered recovery a reality across large populations. Learn more at yourpathhealth.org.